Starting Chemo in December 2013

Sending a lot of positive vibes to all your ladies just had treatment. Another one under your belt! Wish you all had minimum SEs this time. I am looking forward to and dreading for AC#4 next Thursday. Now I am on the honeymoon period and feel almost normal. Just try to enjoy it.

Goldie: thank you so much for sharing your experience with taxol and I am glad you found it easier. 

RHGSR: I asked the exact question to my doctor last week. I had lumpectamy and lymph node removal on my right two months ago and have port on my left. I always sleep on my side and was afraid of lymphdema. She said it should be ok. Just watch out not carrying heavy stuffs with my right hand and watch out for infection on your right arm too. Because these could increase the lymph production and may overwhelm the system. I also don't think breast feeding will affect baby because cancer is not contagious. But it's a good question to ask your doctor. 

I also feel very hot all the time and sweat more than usual in the night. My finger tips are very dry even though I try to put as much lotions as I can. Any solutions? Have a good night, everybody! 

jodi: If you are starting with Adriamycin, then you will need your port, as this drug is cardio toxic and if it by any chance leaked out of your veins during the infusion it can cause necrosis (surrounding tissue to die). I have my port which I hate, but I put up with it because I don't want to suffer the damage. I even developed an allergic reaction to a skin prep swab called ChloraPrep that my picc line nurse used on me. My skin started to blister, became terribly itchy and pinchy. At the time I was so fed up with the picc that I was ready to tear it out myself. I even asked the chemo nurses if they could remove it after my 3rd and last treatment with Epirubicin (similar to Adriamycin with its harsh effect on the veins). They all talked me into keeping my picc line, because they said that even Taxotere which I have another 3 treatments to go is quite harmful. So I decided to put up with it for a little longer than I originally thought, because I would like to preserve my veins for a later use, if possible. Now, since they stopped using the above skin prep and use only sterile saline to wash the site, the allergy has calm down significantly and I can cope with the picc.

Goldie, glad you are going to get the PT and sleeve, it will help.

I think last round has caught up with me...yuck all day today.  Nausea, weakness, headache, and last night the heart racing really made me nervouse...15 minutes of deep breathing helped.

It may be 8 glasses of water vs the 10 I've done before, who knows.  No big C but the big D.  Normally I feel good the day after, but it got me this time, hoping tomorrow is better and this is the bad day...ughhhh I hope everyone is coping, and yes the dryness is horrible.

Jodi- I love my port. It bothered me the first two weeks but now I don't notice it and forget that I have it. It makes infusions and blood draws so much easier!

Jackie-I hope you feel better 

Hello ladies,

Jackieak - I hope you feel better soon.  

Kimie - I spotted last month when I normally would have had a period, lasted for about 5 days, really light. 

Goldie - What other issues have you had with the steroid pills other than lack of sleep?  Wondering how many they will give me next week.  I only had it in my IVs with the AC.

Jodi - My MO didn't recommend a port for me at first, but the infusion nurse insisted.  I went through one AC using my vein, it stressed me out.  I don't mind my port and agree with Leealice re blood draws and chemo are easier, also a bit faster.   

Kim

brioche I'm doing TC chemo just with ivs.  So far, so good!

Hi ladies.  Kimie, I had just stopped having "That time of the month," and my usual 5 days lasted 2 weeks.  I thought it would never stop. And it wasn't light. 

Just woke up from my 2 hour nap. I usually don't nap like this, so this is definitely caused by the chemo. It sure knocked me off my feet today!!!

I experienced chemo brain today, when my hubby took me to this tea specialty shop. He knows how much I love tea.

I started to select different teas and before I knew it I had 2 bags full of these wonderfully aromatic exotic teas like wild orange blossom and ginger coconut worth $184!!! Even at the cash register I didn't quite register how much I was willing to pay for the tea. It must have been my chemo brain shopping not me because normally I would not even consider such a purchase. Well, the tea smells great so I plan to use it for some aroma therapy, as well.

If I can't blame my zombified chemo brain for this, I can blame at least my hubby who took me to the shop! He shouldn't have brought me there!!!

Kuchenhexe - Welcome, I start Taxol next week and am reading that it should be much easier on my stomach.  I am looking forward to that, as I had my last AC tx last Thurs. and my stomach still isn't feeling all that great.  Are you getting a Nuelasta shot the day after your Taxol?  That wipes me out for a couple of days. 

Amazonwarrior1 - I hope that tea tastes great.  I had no idea that tea could be so expensive, are you sure there isn't pot in it?  Just kidding.

Kim

whooopps I said I just started neulasta that was wrong, they stopped that and put me on neupogen...(spelling) so far so good, actually feel a bit of a head cold coming on today, good times....ugghhhh...

I'm sorry rhgsr, it's awful I know.  My 3rd AC is tomorrow, I'm dreading it!  I hope you get some comfort soon.

My latest annoyance is my constant watery eyes & dry dry skin!

thanks DJJ, if it keeps up I may go to my eye Dr., it just started getting bad yesterday.

Port was put in before first chemo.  Under the skin, after you get used to it not a problem.

Was supposed to start taxol one week after last AC, asked for a weeks reprieve and got it.  Woot, Woot.  Means I'll have another good weekend before it all goes to shit for 12 weeks.

Lorreymom, thanks for popping in.

rhgsr, I hope you feel better soon! It is hard to stay positive when your body feels so negative...I am not sure if you are on steroids, but I read that when they start to wear off, it may make you have feelings of sadness. I felt that way on my first round.

leealice, neskir, good luck on your TX's  tomorrow!